Some of my Christmas People

I have been thinking lately about all the people in my life who have been "Christmas in the flesh" to me.  That is, who have embodied the real message of Christmas to me, all year long.  Some have been in Heaven now for many years, and some are still living, though maybe not in my current area.  I decided to write about some of these people, in tribute to my great affection for them.  To do this more easily, I am using an acrostic with the letters in Christmas.  This, of course, limits me to those mentors whose names begin with those 8 different letters.  To those of you who know you should be on my list, accept my apologies and know that eventually I will think of a list that will enable me to include you!  I am very good at lists, you know....

C is for Camilla Henry, who was part of our church in Rome, New York.  We pastored there from 1968 until 1975.  Camilla was raising her grandchildren at that time and was very much a part of our fellowship.  She was very loving and very giving, especially to a young pastoral couple.  My biggest memory is of the time we had to take our newborn Daniel to the hospital in Syracuse for NICU care, due to an immature liver.  We took our camper and set it up near the hospital and stayed there so I could nurse him until he was released.  One day when "Cam" passed her bank, God told her to draw out a specific amount for us to help in the expenses.  She obeyed, and, of course, it was exactly the amount we needed.  I am so thankful for God's servants who hear and obey His voice!

H is for Helen Nichols, my Diabetes Educator here in Custer.  In 2008 I really needed an understanding friend to guide me through those first frightening days of my diagnosis.  Helen was so very caring, and seemed to know just how to teach me what I needed to know - in the way that I would best learn it.  She became personally involved in my life and I will be forever grateful!

R is for my friend in Oshkosh, Ramona Kugler.  She was the only one I can really call my "soul sister" and God gave her to me before I even met her!  Before we were even introduced in 1989, I saw her across the room and said to my husband, "Oh, there are the Kuglers!"  We all racked our brains for years to figure out how I knew them when we had never met.  Ramona became my best friend and we shared much in the short time we had before she died from an infection incurred during a successful liver transplant.  I did not have a chance to really say goodbye and when I felt her appear to me in a dream/vision a few days later, to say goodbye to me, I asked God if He would really do that for me - let her come to say goodbye to me.  He said that yes, He would.  And I asked if He really gave her to me before we even met, and He said that yes, He did.  There are very few occasions when I have felt as much love as I did in that moment!

I is blank because I just cannot think of a person whose name begins with I for this list.  Maybe sometime.

S is for Susie Treyz, a part of the church family that led me to Christ in Binghamton, New York.  Sister Treyz cared for me and loved me into the Kingdom.  She was a great prayer warrior and I always wanted to be like her.  One thing I remember is her entry in my Autograph book, "Be good, sweet maid.  Let all who will, be clever."

T is also blank because God has not brought to my memory anyone whose name begins with T.

M is for my mom, Mildred Brown.  There is not paper enough to list all the Christmas qualities that she embodied to me, and to our whole family.  Her love, caring, generosity, patience, advocacy, shepherding, her peace-making, her gentleness....well you get the picture.  I want to be just like her when I grow up!

A is for Andy and Barb from Lincoln, generous in our times of need, friends always.

S is also for Skippy Beckwith, our first and best and most loving baby-sitter!  She will live always in our hearts.

James 3:17 says that "...the wisdom that comes from Heaven is first of all pure and full of quiet gentleness.  Then it is peace-loving and courteous.  It allows discussion and is willing to yield to others; it is full of mercy and good deeds.  It is wholehearted and straightforward and sincere."  (TLB)  My Christmas People embody this wisdom and have "set the bar" for me. They have been Christmas gifts to me through the years.  Do you have such a list that you can use during your praise and prayer time this Christmas season?  If so, tell that to Jesus, and then tell that to the people involved.  Maybe you will become a gift to them, in this way!

An Aha Moment!

Yesterday we were at Sunday School and Stacy was upstairs in the sound area.  Suddenly, a florescent light above her came on.  We did not notice because we were downstairs and all the lights were on there in the Sanctuary.  But Stacy noticed because she was used to being in the dark up there and the light really changed things for her.  I told her then that I thought that "would preach" and that maybe we were so comfortable in the darkness because it had become normal and usual for us.  We don't bother turning on the light because we don't need it to function.  I love to find spiritual applications in everyday situations and everyday conversation, and I usually just write such things in my Journal and think about them for awhile and move on.  This morning I was reading in 2nd Peter for my devotional time and the 2nd verse of the first chapter reads  like this:  "May God bless you with His special favor and wonderful peace as you come to know Jesus, our God and Lord, better and better."  Aha!  The reason I don't have as much peace as I desire, and as I used to have, is because I have become comfortable with my Spiritual experience and am not seeking actively to know Him better and better?  I have found many excuses (some reasonable) for my current lack of complete peace.  This allows me to not feel guilty and to carry on, secure in my salvation.  But what if I have just become accustomed to the level of light in which I have lived for years?  What if there is so much more for me to learn about Jesus, my God and Lord, so that I may serve Him better and better?  If you ask me, I will tell you that I know I have to keep growing so that I stay alive in Him.  And I do attend to daily Bible reading, and devotions, and I do pay close attention in Sunday School and Worship services.  I know that I desire in my heart to serve Him fully and lovingly.  But I wonder if I have stopped that eager, desperate search for Him that I used to know.  I don't want to forget what God has done for me!  I don't want to become so comfortable in the darkness that I turn the light back off (sorry, Stacy) when it is turned on for me by God!  From now on, I will actively seek the Light and accept His gift of peace as I seek to know Jesus better and better!  I think I will have to find new ways to do this, though, so that I get out of my comfort zone.  Strange, I used to think that my lack of peace was because of the many times in this past decade that I have been removed from my comfort zone - maybe I was not recognizing the Light that was to have shown me the way through those troubling times.  Sometimes I am a slow learner........

I have been reviewing some of my old bound journals and decided that it is about time I began writing again.  I used to write to several friends/family members through my e-mail and then print the letters out to paste in my journal.  This killed two birds with one stone and so I did a lot of writing.  I wondered at the time if they were worthy of reading but several years (or more) later, they really are kind of interesting!  My current journal does not seem interesting to me and so I think I will change direction and see what comes of it.  Last year, on this blog site, I wrote of my plans to make it through the winter here in Custer.  I had 10 goals and only a couple of those goals were met, but apparently I made it through the winter - one way or another.  Now, today, in mid-September, it is freezing out and we actually have seen snow!  So I feel an urgent need to plan ahead for this winter and see if it works out better than last year.  I plan to complain less, write more, review past successes and add even more layers of clothing!  I will also pray more, trust more, smile more, and praise God more.  And if all that does not work, I am demanding that we  move to a more mild climate before another winter arrives. Well, suggesting, anyway!  One way I will make it through the winter is remembering how much I am loved.  Jan Karon says that "when you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you."  I recognize that in my wonderful husband!  She also says that "when someone loves you, the way they say your name is different.  You know that your name is safe in their mouth."  This is true of my loved ones, I think, and also of my Saviour, who "calls His sheep by name, and our names are safe in His mouth." (also Jan Karon).  I think I will concentrate on love, real love, this winter, and see if that warms my cold days!

Father's Day

I hardly ever write about my dad and I don't speak much about him, either. That is not because he was a bad father. I think it is just because by the time I knew him (being number 9 of his 10 children), he was quite busy keeping food on the table and clothing all those kids! I spent the first 20 years of my life being afraid of him because he was strict and gruff and usually had his mind on things other than me. Way back then, I didn't understand why that was so, but now I do. Thinking back on my childhood I think that the fact that my birth followed 3 boys probably had a lot to do with his distraction! Those boys always seemed to be getting into trouble. Because of that, I decided to be extra quiet and not create any waves. I never asked him for any money or favors because I was sure he would say no and I did not like the way he said no. My mom, many years later, asked me why I thought he did not love me when he was so clearly proud of me and pleased in all that I did. I told her that I did not sense that and that he never said he loved me. I decided then to actually tell him that I loved him and see what happened. When he looked surprised and then said, "Well, I love you, too!" everything changed for me. Our relationship became much more relaxed and satisfying. I decided then and there that if I had my own children, I would make sure they knew how much I cared.

My oldest sister told me that the father she remembered was not the one that I described to her regarding my childhood. I learned from her that parents change as the family changes . I had not known that my dad could have been an opera singer because I had never heard him sing, or that he played the fiddle for the family when he was younger. I missed out on a lot and I regret all that. Now that there is no one left to talk to me of my mom and dad when they were young, I wish I had asked more questions and looked at more pictures. This year I decided to make a list of the attributes that I could personally attest to, regarding my dad. I know he was a hard worker, providing for his family faithfully. I know that he insisted on moral behavior in dress, language, and lifestyle. He loved my mom very much. He was frugal and patriotic and always present in the home when he was not working. He was very tall. He made room for his own elderly father in our home a portion of each year until Grandpa's death. He took us on a yearly trip by saving all his dimes in a big bank. He had some military service but I am not sure about what or when it was. All these things I can remember that are good. I have decided that for 2011 I will not dwell on the disappointments I had with him because I now realize that we are all flawed and that as parents we do the best we can.

When I first began to learn about the God who loves me, I had a problem referring to Him as a father because I had no close relationship to draw upon. I still struggle with that, preferring to trust that the Jesus I love said that He and the Father are one, so I don't have to worry. I believe that my heavenly Father understands and all is well. So, since my earthly father is no longer here to celebrate on Father's Day, I offer this from one of my favorite authors, Beverly Lewis: "All honor and praise to our heavenly Father, Creator, and ultimate mender of broken hearts..." Sounds like a father to me!

Our Omaha trip, 2011

We have been back almost a full week now and it is about time I wrote about our trip to celebrate Zac's 3rd birthday. You know that I have had a problem with travel for many years now. As a result, I seldom leave the Black Hills area. With my blood pressure medicine working and my low-carb/exercise diet, I have been having much more success going to Rapid City so I decided to try a trip across the state. Armed with much prayer support, we started out on a Thursday morning and immediately felt a peace and relaxation that I have not felt in a long time - even on Friday as we traveled the Interstate with its high speed limits! That is a real miracle and I thank God for His care of us and our friends and family for their prayers and thoughts in our behalf.

Our whole week there was a fun and relaxing time. It was cold and snowy and one whole day Katy and Scott stayed home and we played lots of games, all of which I lost. We got to play with Zac a lot and we watched his Toy Story movies many times, which turned out to be a great joy! He calls them his "Woody Buzz-Lighter" movies and he has the Woody doll and the Buzz Lightyear (sp?) and keeps them with him almost constantly. He is so cute and smart, of course.

The church we attended there was Avery Presbyterian Church in Bellevue and it was a wonderful experience. The people are very friendly, the music to my liking, the sermons good, and we went out to eat afterwards! What's not to like? Two memorable things from the service on February 6th were a new understanding of the term "Blessed" in the Sermon on the Mount, and an admonition in the Kids moments that we have everything inside of us that we need to be happy (God and His strength and joy). The final song that day was, "Here I am, Lord," and this song has always blessed me and spurred me on to renewed ministry. I have also heard Him calling in the night and want to be led by Him and to hold His people in my hands! Also on that Sunday, I finished a book by Phyllis Whitney and one section, in particular, helped set the stage for our return trip. She says, "You have the strength in yourself that you have always had. A strength that is greater now than when you were young. Accept and listen. Accept what your spirit already knows. If ordeal lies ahead, you will meet it, face it without faltering. The power you need is within you always. Use it."

So our return trip was as fine as the trip out had been. On Monday night we got about 4 inches of snow in Oshkosh, where we spent the night. But we had so much visiting and remembering to do with these old friends of ours that to be snowed in would only have been a delight! However, the roads were cleared and we got back on Tuesday without stress, and with a few bucks in our pocket! God is so good! My final thought is about the UPS truck that we saw in every town we went through. We like our Sully in Custer and seeing that truck every time we turned around just made it seem like home - like a comfort food. Just another way our Father watched over us and made our way pleasant!